Means for cleaning boiler-tubes.



K. KIMURA.

MEANS FOR CLEANING BOILER TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, l9l6. v Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

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K. KIM URA. I

MEANS FOR CLEANING BOILER TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, I916- Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

K. KIMURA.

MEANS FOR CLEANING BOILER TUBES.

APPLICATION F ILED MAY 4. 191$- Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

'3 SHEETSQSHEET a.

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KENKICHI KIMURA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR CLEANING BOILER-TUBES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

Application filed May 4, 1916. Serial No. 95,319.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KENKIOHI KIMURA, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, and residing at New York, in the county of Kings, State of New York, have make a certain new and useful Invention in Means for Cleaning Boiler-Tubes, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to a device for cleaning the exterior surface of tubes.

The object of'the invention is to provide a device which is simple in structure and efficient in operation for cleaning the exterior surface of tubes such, for example, as boiler tubes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described which will simultaneously clean any number of tubes arranged in horizontal and vertical rows and will clean the entire length of the tubes.

Further objects of the invention will ap pear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown by the accompanying drawing and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, I

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a set of boiler tubes with a cleaning device embodying my invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the same.

Fig. 8 is a View in side elevation of the same.

F 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4ll Fig. 3, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a detail view in plan of the power shaft and eccentric shaft employed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 6 is a view in end elevation of the same.

mulate thereon. It is obvious that this is a laborious undertaking due to the limited space between the tubes, and one which necessitates the shutting down of the boiler for a considerable length of time. It is also necessary, as it will be readily'under stood, to clean or scrape each tube through out its length.

It is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide a machine or device which is adapted to be installed at any set of tubes, and which may be suitably operated, either manually or from a source of suitable power, for efliciently cleaning all of the tubes simultaneously, and which will automatically travel the length of the tubes, and thus clean all of the tubes throughout their length ina single application of the device, in a very short length of time, and with little labor.

In the drawings, I designate the various tubes by reference numeral 12. a plate 13, of a length slightly shorter than the distance between the two outer end tubes as shown, and the plate 13, is provided with suitable brackets 14 which have journaled therein guide rollers 15 which rollers are formed to the contour of the tubes to fit thereagainst and adapted to allow the plate to move along the length of the tubes when the device is in operation as will be more fully described. In the arrangement shown, to which however, I am not to be limited, I provide four of such rollers 15, at theapproximate corners of the plate 13, arranged in pairs, each pair, in this instance, resting on the top tube next to the end of the row of tubes, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2.

Two bearings 16, 17, are secured to the plate 13, as shown, and support shafts 18, 19, respectively by a fulcrum point 98, -99 toallow the shafts to rock upwardly and I provide downwardly about the fulcrum formed by the bearing, but preventing the shafts from rocking horizontally. The shafts 18 and 19 are journaled at their respective ends in floating journals 20, which journals are secured to horizontal strips 21, by bolts 22, which strips extend slightly beyond the outer surface of each outer row of tubes.

The ends of the horizontal strips 21, are secured to the ends of parallel vertical strips 23 by means of suitable bolts 24. The vertical strips 23' have secured thereto, by means of bolts 26, for example horizontally extending choppers or cutters, shown best in Figs. 8 and 10. A cutter strip or rod which is designated by reference numeral 30 extends between the vertical strips 23, between each set or horizontal row of tubes, one strip lying between each two rows of tubes as shown. These strips carry thereon, opposite the tubes, a knife portion cut away as shown at 31, on both sides, that is, it is cutaway for the top tube 32, and the bottom tube 33 to form a semi-circle of equal diameter to the respective tubes, and the edge of the cutaway portion is sharpened or beveled to effectively form a knife edge or cutter. Thus it will be seen that if the cutter strips are agitated to move upwardly and downwardly, the knife edges-31 thereof will come in equal contact, in a sharp cutting action, against first one tube 32 and then the other tube 33, and thereby chop off or'cut off any scale or cake accumulated on the outer surface of the tubes for the half circumference thereof. Likewise, as a cutter strip extends between the tube 32 and the one about it, and between the tube 33 and the one below it, the cutting edges thereof, will similarly clean the surface of the tubes 32,33, for the remaining half of their circumference. It will be readily understood therefore, that as cutting strips extend between all of the horizontal rows of tubes, if the vertical strips 23. are rapidly vibrated upwardly and downwardly the two sets of cutting strips supported adjacent the sides'of the plate 1 3 which are transverse to the length of the tubes, will be actuated, and all of the tubes will be cleaned at two placeson their entire length;

To secure the vertical vibratory movement of the vertical strips 23, and to actuate the entire device, I have supplied a simple ar- 1 rangement wherein any desired source of power, which I have shown for illustrative purposes to be a motor 35 is mounted on the plate 13, the shaft 36 of which is provided with a collar 37 at its end,see Fig. 5, and

. Fig. 6. The collar 37 has a shaft 38 which is off-center relative to the shaft 36, and whichtherefore I willcall an eccentric shaft. Secured to the end of shaft 38 is a square collar 39, which fits in a comparatively larger square opening40 of a floating arm member-'41". The arm 41 is provided-with 20, the horizontal strips 21 and the vertical strips 23 and thereby impart t0 the cutting strips 30 the rapid movement necessary for the cutting edges 31 thereof to perform their function of chopping off the scale, etc.,on

the surface of the tubes. It will be seen that due to the rocking movement of the shafts 18 and 19, the .two sets of cutting strips will at all times be operating in opposite directions. That is, when the forward set of cutting strips are moving downwardly, the rear set of cutting strips will be moving upwardly, and vice versa.

It is desirable to prevent the cutting edges 31 of the cutting strips 30 from coming in contact with the tubes with too great a force, or with a force sufficient to injure the tube. I accomplish this as shown best by Figs. 9 and 10, wherein I suitably mount springs 40 in suitable boxes 42 formed in the body of the cutters against the action of whichrangement for accomplishing this wherein I provide a shaft 50, rotated by the source of power 35, which shaft may be an extension of the shaft 36, if desired and as shown. The end of the shaft 50 is provided with a gear wheel 51 which meshes with and drives gear wheels 52,53, mounted on the inner ends of shafts 54, 55, respectively, which shafts extend transversely to the length of the tubes 12, and are suitably mounted on the plate 13, by suitable journal brackets 56. The'outer ends of the shafts 54, 55 are provided with gear wheels 57 which mesh with' and drive the gear wheels 58 mounted on the interiorly threaded sleeve 59 which is secured to the plate 13 by suitable brackets 60. Passing through each sleeve 59 is a threaded shaft 61 which is removably secured to the frame structure of the boilervor the like, as shown;

It will be seen that when the cutters are in operation as hereinbefore described, the shafts 50, 54, 56, and the sleeves 59 will be actuated thereby causing the plate 13 to travel the length of the tubes thus securing a traveling movement of the cutters coincident with their cutting action.

It is desirable to secure vertical movement of the reciprocating vertical strips 23, and prevent any sidewise vibration of the same. I show a simple arrangement for accomplishing this wherein the horizontal strips 25, see Fig. 8, are provided with holes at their ends through which holes the vertical strips 23 to which are secured the cutter arms, pass. Diagonal reinforcing strips 70 are secured to the horizontal strips 25 and are secured to each other and to the bracket 60 by a bolt 75. This forms a rigid guide for the vertical reciprocating strips 23 to work in and insuresa right angle contact between the knife edges of the cutters against the tube surfaces.

When the tube cleaning machine is applied to a set of tubes, say, for example, the tubes of a boiler, the source of power 35 is set in operation and maintained in operation while the cutters chop oflthe scale on the tubes, throughout their length, and completely around their circumference. It is obvious that the source of power, upon reversal thereof, that is, upon reversing the direction of rotation of the shaft 50 the device will travel from one end of the tubes to the other and this operation can be repeated as long as desired or necessary.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a tube cleaning device which is simple in structure, and which requires little labor to operate, and which consumes but a very short length of time to completely and simultaneously clean all of the tubes in the boiler throughout their length.

IVhile I have shown and described in detail a specific structure embodying the principles of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I am not to be limited to any specific structure or detail thereof, as it is obvious that many modifications Will readily occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope of my invention as defined in the claims.

Therefore, what I claim as new and useful, and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A tube cleaning device comprising cleaning means including vibratory strips adapted to be located between and in contact with the exterior surfaces of rows of tubes, means for laterally reciprocating said cleaning means, and means for longitudinally movlng simultaneously with said reciprocating means, said cleaning means.

2. In a tube cleaning device, scale cutting devices located between horizontal rows of tubes, and adapted to reciprocally contact with the exterior surfaces of adjacent rows of tubes, and means for reciprocally moving said cutting devices, and means for simultaneously causing said devices to travel along the length of said tubes.

3. In a device of the class described, a cutter device interposed between substantially parallel tubes and provided with curved knife edge portions with a radius of curvature substantially equal to the external radius of said tubes, and means for vibrating said cutter device between said tubes, and means normally tending to force said cutter device away from said tubes for preventing said cutter device from adhering to said tubes.

4. In a device of the class described, a cutter device normally interposed between horizontal rows of tubes to extend the width thereof and normally out of contact with said tubes, and means for causing said device to reciprocally contact with the exterior surfaces of adjacent tubes.

5. In a device of the class described, a cutter device interposed between horizontal rows of tubes and normally out of contact with said tubes, means for causing said devices to reciprocally contact with the exterior surfaces of adjacent tubes, and means for simultaneously causing said devices to travel the length of said tubes.

6. In a device of the class described, a plate mounted on the top row of a plurality of rows of tubes and adapted to travel the length thereof, rock shafts carried by said plate, cutting devices interposed between the horizontal rows of tubes, and secured to said rock shafts, and means for rocking said shafts.

7. In a device of the class described, a plate mounted on the top row of a plurality of rows of tubes and adapted to travel the length thereof, rock shafts carried by said plate, cutting devices interposed between the horizontal rows of tubes, and secured to said rock shafts, and means for rocking said shafts, and means for simultaneously causing said plate to travel along said tubes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of April, A. D. 1916.

KENKIGHI KIMURA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

